UN Allocates $100 MM to Fight Hunger in Africa, MENA

In a bid to prevent famine in Africa and the Middle East, the UN has allocated $100 million to fight hunger in Yemen and six African countries as the spillover effects of the Ukraine war.

In a statement released by the UN, the allocated money will enable UN agencies and their partners to provide critical support, including food, cash, nutritional help, medical services, shelter, and clean water.

"Projects will also be tailored to help women and girls, who face additional risks due to the crisis," the statement added.

In this regard, Martin Griffiths, the UN Emergency Relief Coordinator said, "Hundreds of thousands of children are going to sleep hungry every night while their parents are worried sick about how to feed them. A war halfway around the world makes their prospects even worse. This allocation will save lives."

The CERF funding will support humanitarian operations, with $30 million for the Horn of Africa, pided between Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya.

Another $20 million will go to Yemen, while Sudan will also receive the same amount. South Sudan will be allocated $15 million, as well Nigeria.

The UN statement also noted that food insecurity in these countries is mainly being driven by armed conflict, drought, and economic turmoil, and the Ukraine conflict is making a dire situation even worse.

"The war which began on 24 February disrupted food and energy markets, causing food and fuel prices to soar."

It's worth mentioning that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported that global food prices were at “a new all-time high”, reaching levels not seen since 1990.